..It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit.. Zechariah 4:6

There is a difference between believing that God is holy and gracious, and having a new sense on the heart of the loveliness and beauty of that holiness and grace.

The difference between believing that God is gracious and tasting that God is gracious is as gracious different as having a rational belief that honey is sweet and having and having the actual sense of its sweetness.

Jonathan Edwards

Your eye is a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is good, your whole body is filled with light.

- Matthew 6:22

Pure heart

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." -Matthew 5:8

A good dictionary will define pure as "conforming absolutely to a standard of quality; faultless." When a thing is pure, it is unmixed, unalloyed, unadulterated, uncontaminated or undefiled by anything foreign to itself. Depending upon the context, it can take on such senses as clear, entire, true, perfect, sterling, chaste, virginal, immaculate, spotless, untainted, good, moral, impeccable, honorable, principled, ethical, guiltless, flawless, sincere and many more.

Jesus says in Matthew 5:8, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." Obviously, the quality of the heart is the issue in this beatitude. Proverbs 4:23 reads, "Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life." Our Father directly addresses the book of Proverbs to His sons (Proverbs 1:7). It assumes our hearts have been purified by His initial cleansing, that we have received His Spirit and are in the process of sanctification and going on to perfection. Ezekiel explains this process:

Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. (Ezekiel 36:25-27)

So.. That’s it! That’s the goal of the Christian life! That’s what we are living for – that we may live our life in such a way that we see God. If we see God, that will open up the treasure trove of all the blessings, not only for eternity, but also for life here and now. And the key to open that treasure trove is a pure heart!

This is the most central and the most significant of all the beatitudes mentioned in this fifth chapter of Matthew. You cannot be poor in spirit without having a pure heart. You cannot mourn for the things that displease God without having a pure heart. You cannot be meek, you cannot hunger and thirst for righteousness, you cannot be merciful, you cannot be a peacemaker or be prepared to stand persecution for the name of Christ without having a pure heart. Actually, this is one of the most central principles of the Christian life that we see in the whole Bible. The heart of the matter is the matter of the heart.

What Is It to Have a Pure Heart?

1. Living by the rule of God, living a life that is pleasing to God.

2. Living for the purpose of God, having a single-minded devotion to God.

Start spreading the news!!

He Gave Himself for Us
Titus 2:13-15

Look at the beginning of verse 14, "Who gave himself for us…" Of course, the "who" is speaking of Jesus Christ.

• We see this same truth reiterated in other passages of Scripture:

1. 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10; Galatians 1:4; Romans 5:8; Ephesians 5:2;
2. 1 Timothy 2:6

It is a simple truth, yet so deeply profound - He gave himself for us. It is a truth we can forget in the busyness of life. We can take it for granted and fail to really appreciate it. Nobody forced Jesus to give His life, not even the Father. He willingly, of His own free will, chose to lay down His life for you and me. He said, "No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself." John 10:18

So real was His free will that He said to Peter, "Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?" Matthew 26:53

Yet, He gave Himself for us! Isn't that amazing and incredible? Jesus Christ hung on that cross, giving His life as a sinless sacrifice for you and me. Why would Jesus do this? Have you ever thought about that? This text explains why.

He gave Himself for us: That we might be forgiven of all sins. vs. 14a

1. 1. The word "redeem" means "to ransom." How do you ransom somebody? You must pay a price.
2. The Bible says that Jesus redeemed us from all iniquity. • "Iniquity" simply means "a violation of a law, wickedness."
3. What is the penalty for violating God's moral law found in His Word? Romans 6:23 states that "…the wages of sin is death." • So, in order for Christ to redeem or ransom us from all iniquity, what price did He have to pay? There way no way around it - death. • When Jesus died on the cross, our sins were imputed to Him. Our sins were put on His account. 2 Corinthians 5:19
4. The moment a believing sinner trusts Christ to save him, God takes the righteousness of His Son and puts that on the believing sinner's account. 2 Corinthians 5:21
5. Notice it says in Titus 2:14 "all iniquity." cf. Ephesians 1:7 • This means that at the moment of salvation we receive total and complete forgiveness.
6. In all other religions, the followers are trying to do something to earn their god's forgiveness, but in the gospel of Christ, God did something for us. He reached out to us in order that we might be forgiven.
7. In other religions, they have to keep working and working in order to earn forgiveness. They never know when they've done enough. But with the gospel of Christ, the believing sinner is saved and forgiven instantaneously because of Christ's finished and completed work.
8. We aren't waiting to be forgiven - we are forgiven. Why? He gave himself for us.

He gave Himself for us: That we might have purpose in this present life.
vs. 14b

1. We are cleansed and forgiven eternally at the moment of salvation, but it doesn't end there. In fact, it is just the beginning. God saved you for a purpose.
2. Notice, He purified us unto himself. God has cleansed us and completely changed our identity. We are new creatures in Christ. God has delivered us from this present evil world and translated us into the kingdom of His Son.
3. We are now unto God a "peculiar people." The word "peculiar" does not mean weird or strange. It means to belong especially to someone. • Illustration: This Bible is peculiarly mine. It is mine in a special way that is not true of anyone else. It may even seem strange to others. Why? It isn't their Bible.
4. We are peculiarly God's. What is the result of this? It should be that we are zealous of good works. God didn't just redeem you, forgive you, and then leave you and say, "That's it." God is interested in the out-working of His purpose in your life. Ephesians 2:10
5. God has bestowed His grace upon you so that His grace can now live through you in the form of good works. God wants you to be fruitful. Titus 3:14 • Through our good works we impact other lives with His grace. Titus 3:8
6. Are you zealous of good works? This is God's purpose for you in the present. God bestowed His grace upon you and placed it in you that He might do something through you! 1 Corinthians 15:10

He gave Himself for us: That we might have glory in the future. vs. 13

1. 1. Sometimes there isn't much glory in this life - there's pain, heartache, misery, trouble, trials, and hurt. You may do good works and evil is returned to you.
2. But God's plan in sending His Son to die for us involves more than just now, the present.
3. God has an eternal plan of glory for us in the future. • Romans 8:18; 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 • Praise God, as we live our lives for His glory on this earth, God has promised us a bright future! • God desires for us to live our lives "in time" in light of what He will do out there in eternity. This requires that we walk by faith, not by sight. Colossians 3:2-4

In Conclusion:
1. Do you see now why Christ gave Himself for you?
2. There was a plan and purpose.
• It starts with forgiveness, but it doesn't end there.
• God forgave you and cleansed you that He might place His life in you and give you purpose in this present life.
• Christ also gave Himself for you because God has an eternal plan of glory for you in the future, in the ages to come.
3. Do you know this Jesus who gave Himself on the cross for you? If not, will you trust Him and believe on Him today?
4. Christ gave His life for you, that He might give His life to you, that He might live His life through you.

Social Club or Army?

“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. One the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.” 2 Corinthians 10:4

No more playing patty-cake with the devil. No more letting him rule over your precious souls. This is war! And Jesus invites you to get into the action. He tells you that the violent—the “forceful” ones—will lay hold of the Kingdom. He is looking for young men and women—just like you—to join Him in the battle of the ages, to aggressively participate in the battle He started.
The Bible refers to the Christian life as being like a battle—a Holy war. But think about the Christians (and maybe even some youth groups) around you. Do they look like an army or a social club? There’s quite a difference:

Social Club or Army?

A Club Member…

• pursues a common interest
• consumes some free time
• gathers acquaintances
• passes the time to make the day fun
• considers preparation as optional to staying involved
• finds courage unnecessary

A Soldier…

• pursues a common mission
• dedicates a whole life
• gathers fellow warriors
• seizes the day to make the battle count
• considers preparation as crucial to staying alive
• finds courage indispensable

  Did you join or enlist?

  With the above contrasts firmly in mind, consider: When you became a Christian, did you join a club or enlist in an army? Before you answer, remember that in a club, people often have to be persuaded to stay involved. Or they have to be begged to come back. But in an army, the commander’s attitude is, “Please don’t come back unless you are ready to give your all.” (Jesus put it like this: “Anyone else want to leave?”)
  My point: Jesus didn’t give His life to start a social club; His church was meant to be an army. If this is the case, then we are to be soldiers, enlisted men and women of God. And certain key qualities of a good soldier will apply to our service in the Kingdom.

  A good soldier keeps his/her eye on the battlefield.

  As I’ve said, most Christians don’t realize there’s a real war going on. They view our struggle as purely symbolic. There’s nothing symbolic about 33 million of your peers caught in the current of MTV’s hypnotic spell. This isn’t a pretend war for the millions of teens out there whose parents divorce each year, many of whom claim to be Christians. The pain is real, and many of your friends and the kids you know at school (maybe even you) are the casualties of war. Their wounds range from the secrecy of emotional abuse, to the desperate loneliness of Internet addiction, to the misery of living under the same roof with parents who are strangers to them. There’s damage being done, and in many cases, real blood is being shed by teens who don’t realize the ways they are being attacked!

  A good soldier lives the code.

  Joining any branch of the military means taking on certain obligations. Soldiers know that upon enlisting, their lifestyles will change dramatically. They know the “code” before signing up, so it isn’t a surprise when their commanding officer insists they arise at 4 a.m. to exercise, do drills, and get to work. It’s all part of the package. They have no say over their way of life any more; they knew what was expected going into the deal. It is not an option to say to the commander, “Well, I really don’t feel like doing push-ups right now.” Even the thought is absurd.

  Joining God’s army includes a lifestyle that our loving Commander-in-Chief insists we live. When we become Christians, we declare our loyalty to the person of Christ and to the lifestyle He requires of us. Some who come to Christ do not show by the way they live their lives that they have truly enlisted as soldiers.
  As enlisted soldiers, we can’t silently vote on which part of the Bible we feel like living from day to day. As if God’s code (His Word) is up for debate! Soldiers go to church services every Sunday because we want to learn how God wants us to live. He is looking for the kind of commitment that says, “Even if I don’t understand why You want me to do it, I will obey.” But instead we tend to think, “If I only knew why, then I would do it.” We think that somehow God is plotting to keep us from fun. Strangely, we become wary of the greatest Lover of our souls.

  A good soldier finds his/her assignment.

  I’ve never met anyone who enlisted in the army just so he could go through boot camp. Instead, enlistees know that boot camp is just preparatory; it’s not the final goal. After this intense period of training, they anticipate being assigned to a mission that will make a difference in the world. There’s a place for them to plug into, and in doing so they will advance the cause of the army. They didn’t join in order to sit on the sidelines and watch the action from afar. They never intended to sit around and listen to generals tell stories about strategy and tactics. No, they want to make those stories.

  Too often Christians have been curious about the war, hoping to see the highlights from it, but unaware that they have a battle mission. This is evidence they have not truly enlisted. Every enlisted soldier knows he or she has a place to fill. Club members find jobs, hobbies, activities, and stuff to fill their time, but a soldier is fully engaged in his assignment.

  There is an assignment that only you can fill. People are waiting to be rescued until you find that assignment. Just as a team member says, “Put me in, Coach; I want to play!”, the soldier cries out to know his assignment. Christians who’ve enlisted for spiritual battle in a real war for real lives come before God with humble hearts pleading, “O Lord, show me my part. I want to be deployed into the battle for this generation. Please show me my mission.”

“Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” I Timothy 6:12

(taken from a devotional from Ron Luce)

James 4:10

“Humble yourselves before the Lord,
and He will lift you up.”
James 4:10

Humbling ourselves means recognizing
that our worth comes from God alone.

I will praise You in this storm!

“In our lives there is bound to come some pain, surely as there are storms and falling rain; just believe that the One who holds the storms will bring the sun.”


All of us face storms in our life at one time or another. Some storms are big and scary storms that seem to last forever, others are small storms that just get us a little dreary and gloom. No matter how big or small these storms are, they make life difficult for us. Question is, why do we have storms in our life? Why does God allow these storms to come into our lives? Well, in the 1st place, no one, not even Jesus said that life would be easy. Life isn't easy, that's for sure. But another thing that we can be sure about is that God is walking through it with us.

It's very easy to praise God for the things He has done for us when everything is bright and sunny, when things just seem to be going the right direction. It's easy to praise God when we are not facing any difficulties in our life. Why wouldn't we praise God? I mean everything is going just perfect! But what about when we are facing tough times in our lives? Do we praise God in these storms? Even when it is so hard to, the answer is Yes. We praise God, because when God allows a storm to come into our life, He has a reason for it, and He will either calm the storm for us, or He will just ride through it with us. God will never leave us in the storm. So we will praise God, because we know that He is with us.

So why does God put us through these storms? There are 2 main reasons:

1.To change our stubborn thinking and mindsets, so that we can walk in His direction.
This can be seen in the example of Jonah. You see, Jonah was running away from God's calling of going to Nineveh to preach. He got onto a ship and then faced a violent storm. Well, it's a long story, but eventually Jonah was thrown overboard the ship into the sea as he is identified by the sailors for causing the storm as he has incurred God'd wrath. But well, that was not the end of Jonah. In Jonah 1:17, it says "But the Lord provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights." Isn't this wonderful? God didn't let Jonah die in the storm. God was riding with Jonah through the storm, sending a big fish to help Jonah keep alive in the storm! Well, to cut the story short, after spending the time in the fish stomach, Jonah finally soften his heart to God's calling and went to Nineveh to preach against it, thus saving the entire city from God's judgment. You see, this storm that God puts Jonah through was obviously aimed at softening Jonah's stubborness against the calling of God. Aren't we like Jonah sometimes, refusing to listen to the will of God and thus facing a storm that God put in our life? I myself admit to this. But do not be disheartened, God put this storm in our life only for our own good, and He will ride through it with us.

2.To make us depend on His power.
Many a times, when we are so blessed and have lived a sunny life for too long, we get a little complacent and forgot God's blessing upon our life. We will tend to feel that we do not need God in our life anymore. When this happen, God will put a storm in our life to remind us that we still need to depend on Him as we are not as great we think we are. In Mark 4:35~41, we see that Jesus and his disciples were in a boat when a storm caught them. At that point of time, Jesus was still asleep. So the storm was really violent and the disciples got scared. So they woke Jesus up and Jesus rebuked the winds, calming the storm in the end. After that, the disciples were rebuked for having no faith because they were afraid. In this case, the storm was calmed. All that was intended was for the disciples to learn that they had to depend on Jesus and for them to realise their own state of faithlessness. I believe that before this, the disciples were probably thinking that they were mighty and strong in their faith. The storm made them realise their weakness and made them lean onto Jesus for help. This is true in our lives as well. Sometimes we will face storms in our life to make us realise that we are not as great as we thought we are and we eventually still need to go back to God for His strength and protection. But we do not have to fret, because God is in control all along and the storm will eventually be calmed.

In conclusion:

God puts these storms in our lives only for our own good, to make us learn, and that He is always looking after us, either by riding through the storm with us or by calming the storm in the end.

“May God give you... For every storm a rainbow, for every tear a smile, for every care a promise and a blessing in each trial. For every problem life sends, a faithful friend to share, for every sigh a sweet song and an answer for each prayer.”

I heart me ♥

You don’t have to travel too far around the world to discover very quickly that God loves variety. He’s made all kinds of shapes, sizes, colors, intensities; an incredible variety in our world.

Talking specifically about you and me, there are 3 verses in the Bible that say important truths about us:

Psalm 139:13 (Good News), “You (God) created every part of me. You put me
together in my mother’s womb.”
Vs. 14 (LB), “Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
It is amazing to think about. Your workmanship is marvelous.”
Job 10:8, “Your hands shaped me and made me.”

From these verses you can take some obvious principles:

1. I am unique. You are unique. There is nobody else in the world like you or me. There never will be. When God made you He broke the mold. You won’t find two people in the whole world who have the same footprint or fingerprint or voiceprint. Why did God make you different from every person who’s ever lived? Because He wants you to know how special you are, how much you matter to God.

2. We are wonderfully complex. You might say, ok define complex? If you check the dictionary definition, something complex is characterized by a very complicated or involved arrangement of parts, units, etc. The fact is we are so complex that many times we are a mystery to ourselves.

• Have you ever said something and later thought, ‘What was I thinking when I said that?”

• Have you ever felt a certain way and later thought, “Why do I feel thisway? What’s happening to me?”

• Have you ever been in a group and everybody reacted one way to a circumstance and you found yourself reacting in the exact opposite way to everyone else in the group? Inside you’re thinking, “What’s wrong with me?” There’s nothing wrong with you, you’re just unique.

3. We were shaped for a purpose! God created everything in the world for a purpose, the Bible says, including you.

• You’re not here by accident. You’re not just taking up space. God made you for a reason.

• You were designed by God and it was His idea. It’s not a mistake. You were planned before birth. God did not simply sit down at a computer and randomly access a bunch of components and threw them all together and out came you.

• The Bible clearly says that you were purposefully, personally and orderly planned and designed by God. Check this out: His loving hand made you exactly the way you are. You are you because God wanted you to be you. Isn't that awesome!

• Your uniqueness is what God wants you to offer to the world. He wants you to be special :)

So just tell yourself this:
God made me. God loves me.


Btw check out this song!!
Group 1 Crew-Live out Loud
here's the Youtube link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=220bES6hV-k
here's the lyrics link:
http://www.metrolyrics.com/live-out-loud-lyrics-group-1-crew.html
It's amazing and speaks about how amazing God created you and me :D

New Year, new challenges

A single word can be a powerful thing. It can be the ripple in the pond that changes everything. It can be sharp and biting or rich and soft and slow. Can you identify a single word that sums up what you want for yourself in 2009?

It can be something tangible or intangible. It could be a thought or a feeling or an emotion. It can be singular or plural. The key is to find something that has personal meaning for you. This is not someone else's word - this is YOUR word. One little word can have big meaning in your life if you allow yourself to be open to the possibilities.

New Year is the time to unfold new horizons and realize new dreams, to rediscover the strength and faith within you, to rejoice in simple pleasures and gear up for new challenges.

Take some time this week to think about your own word for 2009!

And in case you were wondering, my word for 2009 is give.

Wishing you a truly fulfilling New Year!!

Today

At the end of today, if it has been preoccupied with thoughts of enjoyment that might be coming, we will find that we have lost something valuable that will be gone forever. Today! In hoping to be happy about something in the future, instead of being happy right now, we are missing out. We often want more time, more money for that new purchase, a better job, better health. The list may be long. This is such a waste because there are probably many things to feel really good about each day. Unfortunately we are encouraged to dwell on things that we have yet to acquire. If we were bombarded with daily reminders of how lucky we are and how much we have to be happy about, we would retire at night with wonderful days behind us.

"No matter what looms ahead, if you can eat today, enjoy the sunlight today, mix good cheer with friends today, then enjoy it and bless God for it. Do not look back on happiness or dream of it in the future. You are only sure of today; do not let yourself be cheated of it." - Henry Ward Beecher

Our day should be free of other stresses and worries. An analysis of a bad event that has happened, or may happen, can be worthwhile in determining a course of action. Beyond that, to continue worrying about it is a completely useless waste of time and is harmful to our health. Worry does not help the future experience and could make it worse, and the past cannot be changed.

"Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could, some blunders and absurdities have crept in. Forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

So enjoy yourself today because it is not coming back.

Friendship 101

Good friendship is healthy but it isn't easy for everyone. It’s OK if you don’t fit in with ‘majority’, but sometimes we are so unique that we are left all alone, with no friends. This is why I'm writing a quick and simple 6 step guide on how you can find friends, and keep them. I don't guarantee much, but hey! at least you tried.. right? Even though having many friends may not guarantee happiness; it still may play a key role in our lives.

So let's start..
1. Find your old friends. The first thing you should do before gettig new friends is finding your old ones. We've all had friends at some point of our lives: school, work, church, etc. Old friends are easy to re-establish a connection with: just ring or email; don’t feel shy about it, as they’ll likely be delighted to hear from you and they’ll want to get you caught up on all their news.

If this isn't a good idea then we're back to square one. There are lots of reasons why you might want to be brave and develop some new relationships. Perhaps you’ve moved away from all your friends. Perhaps you’re deliberately been seeking to put the past behind you. So you're next option is..

2. Find another lonely person. If you find yourself lonely and pathetic, you need to find someone else that is going through the same stage that you are going through. Maybe someone else has the qualities you have, or likes the same things you like. Try and look for them. Maybe if you go to the places you like to go, or do the things you like to do.. you'll find people to spend time with. Example: There's normally more than one lonely person in a park, right? So, why not go talk to them? Don't get me wrong! I don't mean that you should stalk them, and freak them out (remember that if you scare them away, we're back to zero) so just be friendly. Remember: "Friendship improves happiness and abates misery by the doubling of our joy and the dividing of our grief." - Marcus Cicero

3. Make them like you. After you've found someone to talk to..then..getting people to like you is the starting point, and that should be fairly easy to do. People have a basic need to be liked themselves. Show interest, appreciation, and kindness. Smile. Praise given out sincerely is a great act of friendship. Be a good listener and try to see the good, not the bad qualities in people. These actions will usually be returned to you, sooner or later. (Hopefully sooner than later)

4. Once you’ve made contact, stay in touch. Now that you have someone to talk to, then you have to keep in touch. Remember: Communication is the key in friendships. I find Facebook very useful for keeping track of all my friends – almost everyone I know uses it, and it’s an easy way to see what everyone’s up to. Email is also great, since it’s instantaneous and free.

5. Hang out. Now that you've got a friend, now you can have some fun. I love spending time with my friends, and doing fun stuff with them. Don't go back to your routine of being lonely and pathetic. Take care of your friendship and help it grow. Example: Your new friendship is like a plant. It has to grow, but in order to grow it needs some help. You need to feed it, give it some air, and light. Only with care and love will it grow. So take care of your friend(s) and appreciate them!!

6. Keep your friend(s). Lastly, as a friend, try to let an unfavorable incident or remark fly right over the top of your head. We all blurt out something stupid or do something regrettable at times, and it's so nice when the other acts as if it never happened. Simply, be a friend to your friends.

Ok so, those are my 6 step guide to how a person can find friends and keep them. I've honestly never tried them, but I have tons of friends so I think they should work! lol.

Remember: "The rule of friendship means there should be mutual sympathy between them, each supplying what the other lacks and trying to benefit the other, always using friendly and sincere words."

Because the only way to have a friend is to be one. . .

What's your reason?

I've been talking about living life, and about making an impact with your life, so I think I should talk about the meaning I've found in life.

Since the dawn of time, the ultimate question has been asked in a number of ways. "Why do we exist?", "What is the meaning of life?", and "Does God exist?" My answer to these questions are that yes God does exist, and He created you with a purpose.

It only makes sense to ask "What is the meaning of life?" if we believe that life was created for a reason. If life simply evolved on Earth by accident, if we just happen to be here, then life cannot have any meaning. Life can only have meaning if it was created for a purpose. If there is no Creator, then there can be no meaning of life.Of course, people can try to find meaning in life without believing in a Creator. We can set ourselves goals—wealth, fame, helping others—and decide to devote our lives to achieving them. If we do this, then in some sense our lives seem to become about achieving wealth, or fame, or whatever, to take on that meaning. It seems possible to impose meaning on life through our own decisions and desires.

Most people who ask "What is the meaning of life?" really mean something like "What goals should we set ourselves?" There is a misunderstanding here, however; meaning cannot be imposed on life through our decisions and desires. The attempt to impose meaning on a life that would otherwise be devoid of meaning fails.

People can try to find meaning in life without believing in a Creator in just the same way as they can try to find meaning in random scribbles or in clouds. If one looks at a cloud hard enough for long enough and applies enough wishful thinking then one can find a hint of a familiar face or object, and try to project this meaning onto it. That doesn’t make a cloud a portrait, though; it doesn’t give it true meaning. Thinking that the meaning of life is the pursuit of our self-set goals is like seeing a face in a cloud and calling it a portrait. The true meaning of life depends on the reason for our creation. If we want to find the meaning of life then we need to ask why we were put here.

Christianity gives one answer to this question. The reason that we are here is that God created us to have a relationship with him. This is why God created a universe fit for human life, and why He laid down guidelines for how to live our lives. According to the Bible, each one of us is created for communion with God; God wants to know us, to love us, and to rejoice with us. In the Bible God tells us that the barrier to this relationship is sin, but since Jesus gave His life for us (John 3:16), then God heals that relationship, removes that barrier no matter how great it has become, and restores us.

If the world around you doesn't fulfill your expectations, and thoughts like "What do I live for?" and "What is the meaning of my life?" keep bothering you, we need to talk. It's not a feeling of melancholy, and no medicine will cure it. Rather the answer is you are so special, and you were created with a divine purpose. But you have to follow God to find the way to live.

There are many reasons why a person will make the choice to pursue Jesus. Where do you fit?

●I am an adventurous person and am willing to explore who God is. I have always been fascinated with the idea of the supernatural.

●The life I am living is miserable and I am searching for the way out. Life cannot be this pointless. (John4:11-13, 10:7-10)

●I have seen examples of family and friends who have lived a life with God and I want to have the same thing. I have always have respect for sincere Christians that really know God. The Christians I know are not perfect, but they seem to be fulfilled in life. (II Corinthians 3:1-3)

●I am not sure what eternity will really be like, but I don't like the sound of existing in a timeless realm of despair and regret. I am scared of going to hell. Heaven sounds like a pleasant place where I would like to go. (Luke 16:24-30, Hebrews 11:7, Jude 21-23)

●I have been raised in an atmosphere where there is a God consciousness and I have accepted that. Yet, I refuse to believe that what my family and friends are participating in is all that God has to offer. (Luke 19:1-10, John 3:1-5, Acts 10:1-8, 19:1-7)

●I cannot shake the felling that I am not living the life that God wants me to live. (Revelation 3:21)

●I have read or had someone tell me what the Bible says. I believe it is true and I can see that there are some things that I am lacking. (Acts 2:37-38, 16:29-34, Hebrews 4:12)


What is the common thread in ALL the reasons that we think of?
A: FAITH (Hebrews 11:5,6) Believing that there is "someone" that is bigger and greater than you.

So what is the "Meaning of Life"? -- The answer to this question cannot come from human intelligence or reason, but only from the Creator himself who transcends our material world. God gave us the ability to choose whether we live by His moral laws or by whatever values we assign to ourselves through our own reason. As we find, we are not mere robots placed on this earth by God. Rather, we have absolute free will to follow what He says or not. We can either recognize God as the Creator of the universe, or we can deny that He exists. We can choose to live a meaningless life or a life with absolute and eternal purpose. The choice is up to you. What do you believe?

Some quotes on life..

Ok so my theme for this week if you haven't noticed is LIFE.
I believe that sometimes we forget to enjoy the gifts God has given us..

What are the wisest words anyone has ever told you that apply to life? The wisest I ever heard were from my dad. He said 'You only get one life and no rehersal'. What's the most though provoking words you ever heard that made an impact on your life?
Here are some amazing words about life that I found...

You've got a lot of choices. If getting out of bed in the morning is a chore and you're not smiling on a regular basis, try another choice. -Steven D. Woodhull

Being happy doesn't mean everything's perfect, it just means you've decided to see beyond the imperfections -????

Whatever you do, or dream you can, begin it, boldness has genius, power, and magic in it -Johann Wolfgang van Goethe

Even if you are on the right track, you'll still get run over if you just sit there. -Will Rogers

Happiness is not a state to arrive at, but a manner of traveling -Margoret Lee Runbeck

What you are is what you have been, and what you will be is what you do now -The Buddha

If you try you may fail, if you don't try you're guaranteed to fail. -Jesse Jackson

No one appears on our stage unless the director has placed them there for our benefit -Paramahansa Yogananda

Of all the things you wear, your expression is the most important -????

When one door of happiness closes, another opens, often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened for us. -Helen Keller

Success is not fame or money or the power to bewitch. it is to have created something valuable from your own individuality and skill - a garden, an embroidery, a painting, a cake, a life. -Charlotte Gray

Some things have to be believed to be seen. -Ralph Hodgson

Remember, if you’re headed in the wrong direction, God allows U-turns! -Allison Gappa Bottke

Now that it's all over, what did you really do yesterday that's worth mentioning? -Coleman Cox

We have to live today by what truth we can get today and be ready tomorrow to call it falsehood. -William James

Tough and funny and a little bit kind: that is as near to perfection as a human being can be. -Mignon McLaughlin, The Second Neurotic's Notebook, 1966


I love it...you never know what's around the corner in life, do you?
I hope these quotes were a bit inspiring, if not at least you laughed some.

Live for today!

Life

"Be happy while you're living, for you're a long time dead." - Scottish Proverb

Everyone says, "How the time flies." The days go by and they are years, and the years finally become our whole life. Each daily portion can be wasted, or it can be a pleasure, before it is gone forever. If a bedtime review of the day concludes that we were too stressed, too busy, didn't accomplish anything, didn't have any fun, then it has been another lost piece of precious life. Perhaps we are putting off our enjoyment until we have more time, or money, or some other improved condition. The trouble with that is that it might never happen, or it may be too long in coming. It's so important to accept this time, this very minute, as something of tremendous value that will very soon be gone forever. There are many ways to ensure that we make the best of our time here on earth.

In our daily routine let's include time to enjoy others and thus ourselves. Look and wonder at the trees, fields and mountains, smell the flowers, hear the birds, and watch the clouds in the sky."This world, after all our science and sciences, is still a miracle; wonderful, magical and more, to whosoever will think of it." - Thomas Carlyle. Face your problems bravely, confidently, and improve on your situation, no matter what state it be in. Be good to feel good. Be active and improve your mind. Laugh, relax, and sleep well.

Life is mostly froth and bubble;Two things stand like stone:Kindness in another's trouble,Courage in our own. - Adam Gordon